Improvement in hand-looms



Umano raras Errea.

(l. L. MGDOWELL, OF WASSONVILLE, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAND-LOOlVlS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 52.306. dated January 30, 1866.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, C. L. MCDOWELL, of Wassonville, in the county of Washington and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Looms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will en able others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure lrepresents a longitudinal vertical section of this invention, the plane of section being indicated by the line m m, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

My invention consists, chiefly, in a novel method of operatin g the devices which propel the shuttle; and, secondly, in. the method of operating the cloth-beam, as hereinafter described.

A represents a frame, made of wood or any other suitable material in the usual form of frames for looms. From the middle of this frame rise two uprights, which support the heddle-bearer B, and the posts C at one end of the frame form the bearings for the yarnbeam D, the motion of which is regulated by the tension of a rope, a, wound round one end of said yarn-beam and strained by means of a lever or in any other desirable manner.

E is the hatten which oscillates on a rod or gudgeons, b, having their bearings in the longitudinal rails of the frame A, and this hatten connects, by a rod or pitman, c, with the shank d of a click-wrench, F. rThis wrench is composed of a sleeve iitted loosely on the shaft G, and provided with a slot and suitable lugs, which form the bearings for the fulcrum-pin c of a click or dog, d. This click drops into cavities e cut in the surface of the shaft Gr, as shown in Fig. l of the drawings. This shaft has its bearings in the longitudinal rails of the frame A in the usual manner; but instead of having a continuons rotary motion, it makes only one-quarter revolution for each stroke of the batten. This object .is effected by the click-wrench F, as above described. Ifthe batten moves forward in the direction of arrow l, the click-wrench turns back in the direction of arrow 2, (marked near it in Fig. 1,)

and the click d slides over the teeth in the shaft without imparting any motion to it, thus causing said click to take a new tooth; but if the batten moves back inthe direction opposite to arrow 1, the click-wrench is caused to rotate in the direction opposite to arrow 2 and the shaft G makes a partial revolution. If four teeth are cut in the shaft, it makes onequarter revolution for each stroke of the batten 5 but it is obvious that the number of teeth can be increased or decreased to suit the number of treadles. l

The shaft G carries four sets of tappets or cams, f, vwhich act alternately on the treadles H. Said tappets may be secured in suitable mortises in the shaft by means of set-screws, so that they can readily be removed and arranged in any desirable order. For instance; if four tappets and four treadles are used, said tappets may be so arranged that they act on the treadles in regular order, beginning at the first and ending at the last; or-they may be so placed that the third treadle will be depressed immediately after the first, then the second and fourth; or the tappets may be so placed that only two of the tappets are actuated and the remainder remain stationary. It is obvious that the number of treadles and the corresponding number of tappets can be increased or decreased as occasion may demand.

The treadle-box is supported by a cross-bar, h, of the frame A, and the treadles are constructed and shaped in the usual manner.

From the shaft G extends a cord or rope, t', around the cloth-beam I and around a pulley, j, which is pivoted to a long lever, J, situated on one side of the frame, near the bottom. By the action of this lever the tension of the rope vi can be regulated and the cloth-beam is compelled to revolve with the shaft G.

The cloth-beam has its bearingsin the lower longitudinal rails of the frame A, and by its action the finished fabric is wound up. If there is any slack, it will be taken up by the cloth-beam 5 if there is none, the rope i will slip and the yarn-beam will remain stationary.

The tappetsf are also arranged insuch a way that they can be easily lengthened and shortened, so as to get a good shed, and the tension of the warp, which is stretched from the yarn-beam over the beam K and breastbeam L* to the cloth-beam, is regulated by the friction of the rope wound round the end ot' the yarn-beam and tightened by a suitable lever. As the weft] is beaten up by the lay the friction of this rope is overcome and the yarn-beam is moved over the Width of one thread.

The shaft Gr also carries two tappets, l l', to operate the picker-staffs L L. These pickerstaft's are pivoted to the cross-bar lm. of the frame A, and they extend through mortises in the batten, as clearly shown in the drawings. Each of these pickers is provided with a shoulder, n or u', which act on the noses o o of the picker O. This picker oscillates on a vertical pivot, j), and an arm, q, cxtendingy from it in front of the lay connects, by cords i 1"', with the i'lies S S. The picker-staffs are alternately raised and lowered by the tappets l l', so that they act at the proper intervals on the pickers 0, one to throw the shuttle in one and the other to throwit in the opposite direction. In the position shown in Fig. 2, for instance, the batteri has receded, the pickerstai'L is raised, and the picker-statt' L has acted on thenose o, andthetlyS, together with the shuttle, has been thrown in the direction ofthe arrow marked uearitin said figure. On the next succeeding back-stroke of the batten the picker-staff L is raised by the tappet l, and the picker-staff Ll comes in action and throws the shuttle in the opposite direction.

It will be noticed that the mechanism of my loom is governed by the oscillating motion of the batten. Its construction is simple, and a thoroughly uniform motion is effected, so that the fabric woven on it preserves a uniform density throughout.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl'. The specific combination and arrangement of the picker-staffs Lv L', shaft G, tappets Z Z', picker O, and tlies S S, when the motion ot' all these parts is derived from the batten, as herein set forth.

2. Communicating the required motion to the cloth-beam from the hatten by the means described.

0. L. MGDOWELL.

Witnesses:

J. S. TROWBRIDGE, H. PERRY. 

